1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for generating a command frame and/or a response frame transmitted and received to/from a digital equipment connected to a digital interface, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for generating a command frame and/or a response frame for the control of a digital equipment which is capable of easily generating a command frame and/or a response frame of a size appropriate for the digital equipment.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, a command frame and/or response frame transmitted and received to/from a digital equipment connected to a digital interface is generated in the form appropriate for the type of a digital equipment by searching command and/or response frame identification codes stored by means of a control signal according to the type of the digital equipment inputted by an user. The generated command and/or response frame is transmitted to the corresponding a digital equipment.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a digital equipment connected to a digital interface according to the conventional art, wherein a variety of a digital equipment such as a digital VCR(D-VCR or D-VHS) 100, digital television(D-TV) 110, digital audio(D-Audio) 120, DVD(Digital Versatile Disc) recorder/reproducer 130 is connected to the above-said digital interface. Here, the IEEE 1394 is used as the digital interface.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of parts of a digital VCR(D-VCR or D-VHS) 100 and digital television(D-TV) 110 connected to a digital interface according to the conventional art.
The above-said digital VCR 100 includes: a digital VCR processor 101 for receiving a signal inputted from the outside to process the same; a digital VCR program(D-VCR program) 102 constructed inside the digital VCR processor 101; a frame processing program 103 constructed inside the digital VCR program 102 for storing command and response frame formats according to the type of a digital equipment; and a digital interface processor (IEEE 1394 processor) 104 for generating the command and response frames appropriate for the digital equipment generated from the digital VCR processor 101 so as to be transmitted and received to/from a digital interface.
The above digital television(D-TV) 110 is constructed in the same manner as the above-described digital VCR 100.
The thusly constructed method for generating a command frame and response frame according to the conventional art will be described in detail.
When a signal for interfacing with the digital television 110 is inputted to the digital VCR 100, the inputted signal is transmitted to the digital VCR processor(D-VCR processor) 101. The digital VCR processor 101 determines the command and/or response frame appropriate for the type of a corresponding a digital equipment, among command and/or response frames according to the type of a digital equipment pre-stored in a frame processing program 103 of the D-VCR program 102 by means of the above inputted signal. The determined command and/or response frame is transmitted to the IEEE 1394 processor 104 to thus be generated in the form appropriate for the transmission to the digital television 110, and the generated command and/or response frame is transmitted through an asynchronous channel of the IEEE 1394. Meanwhile, generated or received video/data data is transmitted through an isochronous channel of the IEEE 1394.
In addition, the transmitted command and/or response frame is received from the IEEE 1394 processor 114 of the digital television 110. A digital TV processor 111 corresponding to the digital VCR processor 101 generate a command frame and/or a response frame in the same method as the above-described method for generating a command frame and/or a response frame for the digital VCR 100 to thus transmit the same to the asynchronous channel of the IEEE 1394, and the generated or received video/audio data is transmitted through the isochronous channel of the IEEE 1394.
However; the command and/or response frame transmitted/received through the asynchronous channel is previously standardized according to the type of a digital equipment. Therefore, the method for generating a command frame and/or a response frame according to the conventional art has a problem that each of the command frame and response frame related to the type of a digital equipment connected to a digital interface must be repeatedly programmed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for generating a command frame and/or a response frame transmitted and received to/from a digital equipment.
To achieve the above object, there is provided an apparatus for generating a command frame and/or a response frame for the control of a digital equipment according to the present invention which includes: an input unit for inputting a signal; a host processor for outputting a digital equipment code and operation control signal upon receipt of the signal inputted from the input unit; a frame processor for determining the type of the digital equipment upon receipt of the digital equipment code and operation control signal, and generating a command frame and/or a response frame; a storing unit for storing the code value of the command and/or response frame in relation to the type of the digital equipment; and a digital interface processor for receiving the command and/or response frame and processing the same so as to be transmitted to the digital interface connecting the digital equipment.
There is provided a method for generating a command frame and/or a response frame for the control of a digital equipment according to the present invention which includes the steps of: generating a digital equipment code and command control signal by means of a signal outputted from an input unit; determining the type of the digital equipment corresponding to the digital equipment code, and the command and/or response frame corresponding to the digital equipment; and processing the determined command and/or response frame in an appropriate form so as to be transmitted to a digital interface for thereby transmitting/receiving the same to/from an asynchronous channel of the digital interface.